Lentil 1.0 and Beyond

We have sequenced the lentil variety CDC Redberry using next generation DNA sequencing with paired-end, mate-pair and long read libraries over a wide range of sizes and different technologies.  The assembly Lentil v1.0 consists of 7 pseudomolecules anchored through the use of six high-density genetic linkage maps, with the total assembled bases representing approximately half of the 4 Gb lentil genome. Over 49 thousand transcripts have been predicted on 15 thousand contigs through mapping of RNASeq and EST sequence data and are now available for BLAST and visualized on a JBrowse instance.  

The completion of a draft genome encompassing about half of the lentil genome represents a powerful enabling platform for lentil biology, as we document in studies of genome sequence-assisted dissection of agronomic traits. The draft genome facilitates activities of a new project, AGILE, funded by the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, Genome Canada, and partner agencies.  The goals of AGILE are to understand genome evolution in the genus Lens, and the changes that have occurred during domestication and subsequent adaptation to different lentil growing regions of the world, and to accelerate breeding through the development of tools for molecular marker-assisted selection.